


When Moony Met Sin

by mysid



Series: Lovers for Tonight [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:08:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8638105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysid/pseuds/mysid
Summary: After Sirius is sent to Azkaban, Remus tries to find warmth and comfort in the arms of another.  Fourth story in the “Lovers for Tonight” series.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> In the story, “Go Back to Being Friends,” I gave Peter an older brother named Simon, and I gave Simon a friend named St. John Wildsmith. St. John is pronounced “Sinjin,” and this St. John has acquired the nickname “Sin.” With a name like that, he just HAD to have his own story.
> 
> Sin Wildsmith is mine. The world he inhabits and the people he meets belong to J.K. Rowling.

May 1978

“Hey, Sin, I’m home. Mmm, whatever you’re making smells wonderful.”

St. John Wildsmith glanced over his shoulder at his flatmate, and then returned his attention to the chicken he was sautéing. “It never fails. Dinner’s almost ready, and Simon comes home.”

“I have impeccable timing.”

“No, you just love food.” 

“Ha ha. Let me go change, and I’ll set the table.” Simon dropped a briefcase next to the desk in the living room and then headed for his bedroom. 

St. John selected a bottle of white wine from the small wine rack suspended on the wall and chilled it with a charm. He left it on the table for Simon to open and pour. He was pretty sure Simon would want a few glasses of wine tonight; an owl had arrived from his mother.

Simon returned to the kitchen, now clad in a running suit made of some artificial Muggle fabric.

“God, your mother would die if she saw you dressed like that instead of ‘proper wizard attire’.”

Simon laughed. “Is this your latest ploy to get me to diet? Mention my mother and spoil my appetite.”

“No, you got an owl from her today. I left the envelope on the desk.”

Simon placed the plates and flatware he was carrying in a pile on the table. He grabbed two wine glasses, opened the bottle with his wand, and poured himself a glass before going to the desk. He read the note silently before announcing its contents to St. John. “Looks like she’s definitely having that graduation party for Peter—and you’re coming with me.”

“There’s no way it says that,” St. John said as he added a splash of wine to the chicken. “Prudence Pettigrew would rather invite a vampire to the party than me. At least vampires only suck on necks.”

“Jokes like that are the reason she hates you,” Simon pointed out. “And you’re right, she didn’t invite you. It says,” Simon switched into a falsetto mimicry of his mother, “The party will _only_ be for relatives, Peter’s friends, and your late father’s and my friends.”

“There you are. I don’t fit in any of the above categories.”

Simon took a large swallow of wine. “Tough shit. I can’t handle my ‘when are you getting married’ mother, my busybody aunts, and my insufferable older brother alone. You’re coming with me.”

“All right, I’ll come and protect you, but only if you promise to give me a big wet kiss right in front of your Aunt Constance.”

Simon snorted. “Poofter.”

Sin blew him a kiss and laughed.

 

June 1978

Simon had taken the precaution of sending his mother an owl just before the party started and informing her that St. John was coming with him to the party. The owl arrived so close to the start of the party that she did not have time to send a reply and forbid St. John’s attendance. The note merely gave her time to have an apoplectic fit before the party began instead of when Sin walked in the door. They also took the precaution of wearing ‘proper wizard attire’ so she couldn’t find fault with their clothing. 

Sin poured himself another glass of the non-alcoholic punch that had been provided for the snot-nosed younger relatives. He wasn’t above saying an alcohol-induced sexual innuendo in front of one of one of Simon’s relatives, but he wanted the alcohol-induced part to be merely an act. He preferred timing his more outrageous moments for when and where they were most called for. 

He glanced around and saw that Simon had managed to extricate himself from his Aunt Charity, and was now talking with his younger brother Peter.

“No rescue required,” he muttered to himself. He decided to wander down to the lower garden and enjoy a little solitude among the willows and irises growing along a stream bank. Lunch had just been served, so the brats would be busy inhaling food instead of getting wet and muddy. However, he found that he wasn’t the only one who had slipped away. One of Peter’s friends, the brown-haired one, was sitting on the stream bank, leaning back against a large willow trunk. He had looked up at the sound of Sin’s approach and smiled faintly.

“Mind if I share the peace and quiet?” Sin asked.

“Not at all,” the teenager replied as he scooted over to his left, giving Sin room to share the mossy bank and tree trunk backrest. He gestured for Sin to sit beside him.

Sin did so and offered his hand. “St. John, but call me Sin. Most people do.”

“Remus.”

“So why did you feel the need to slip away? Are you just generally anti-social, or does the extended Pettigrew clan inspire you to run screaming too?

Remus smiled and turned back to contemplating the stream. Sin found himself thinking that Remus was really quite attractive when he smiled. He wasn’t Dead Sexy in an obvious way, like Peter’s friend Sirius, but he was attractive. _“Nice smile, beautiful skin, strong jaw--”_

“I--um--Mrs. Pettigrew doesn’t like me very much. I guess I just needed to escape her glare for awhile,” Remus said.

Sin laughed. “She couldn’t possibly dislike you more than she does me.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.” Remus smiled again and gave Sin a sideways look before looking at the stream again. 

_“Gorgeous eyes,”_ Sin thought. _“Warm brown with gold flecks. I wouldn’t mind seeing those closer. Very close.”_ He was highly aware of the way Remus’s side was pressed against his own as they leaned back against the same tree trunk. _“I wonder. If he’s straight, he probably wouldn’t feel comfortable sitting this close to me. Let’s see if he knows I’m gay.”_

“Well, dear Prudence hates _me_ because she’s afraid that I’m infecting her precious son with homosexuality, that my decadent and evil ways will rub off on Simon. Part of it is Simon’s fault. We’re best friends, flatmates, and that’s _it_. But, he got tired of his mother fixing him up with every buck-toothed and knobby-kneed daughter of her friends, so he moved in with me, told her I’m gay, and let her draw her own conclusions about the two of us.”

Remus chuckled. Sin was pleased to note that Remus did not move away from him, not even slightly.

“So, Remus, why does she dislike you?”

“Um--let’s just say she’s afraid my _evil ways_ will _infect_ Peter.”

Sin had to laugh at that. Not only was Peter as straight as they came, but Sin simply couldn’t imagine him in the throes of passion with anyone. He’d known Peter since he was a chubby little five year old with one finger up his nose, and a part of him would always see Peter that way. “You and Peter--no way.” Then he stopped laughing abruptly. Remus was smiling, but he hadn’t laughed. “You two aren’t, are you?”

“No,” Remus said, shaking his head vehemently. “Peter’s straight.”

_“Ahh, he said that Peter’s straight. He didn’t say, ‘We’re straight’.”_

“MOONY! Where are you?” a voice called. Remus turned to look around the tree and back toward the voice.

“Down here,” he called as he waved a hand at the speaker. When he settled back against the tree again, he shifted slightly further to his left. The change was barely perceptible, but Sin had been so aware of Remus’s nearness that he had to notice the change. He wondered if Remus was still in the closet and didn’t want his friend to see him sitting so close to someone openly queer.

 _“Dead Sexy Sirius,”_ Sin thought as Remus’s friend came into view.

“Why are you off by your--” Sirius stopped both speaking and walking the moment he saw Sin. He looked between them, measuring the sliver of space between them with his eyes. Some _almost_ hidden expression--not quite anger, disapproval?-—was on his face. Then he smiled very deliberately as he extended a hand to Sin. “Hello. St. John, isn’t it? Simon’s friend?”

“That’s right. And you’re Sirius, right? We met at a Pettigrew Christmas party once. As I recall, you were flirting with the prettiest girl in the room.”

“That sounds like Sirius,” Remus said smiling. Sin was really starting to like his smile.

“Second prettiest,” Sirius grinned. “I couldn’t flirt with Lily and hope to live through the night. Come back to the party, Remus. All the food is out, but it might not last long if all of Peter’s relatives eat like him. Come eat something.”

“All right.” 

Remus extended a hand up to Sirius and let him pull him to his feet. Either Sirius pulled too hard, or Remus overbalanced on the slight slope. They ended up pressed chest to chest. Sirius wrapped one arm around Remus’s back and looked very deliberately into Sin’s eyes. The message was clear. _“He’s mine.”_

_“So,”_ Sin thought, _“not disapproval. Jealousy.”_ Remus stepped back from Sirius, still smiling. There was a flush on his cheeks that hadn’t been there before, but Sin didn’t think it was embarrassment. It was happiness. 

“Are you coming, Sin?” Remus asked.

Sin got to his feet unassisted. “Yeah, I’d better see if Simon needs help escaping from one of his aunts.” He led the way back up the path, allowing Remus and Sirius to lag behind. He thought he heard the sound of a quick kiss, but he waited for a count of three before looking back over his shoulder at them. They walked side by side, not holding hands, but occasionally allowing the backs of their hands to brush against each other.

Sin didn’t mind a challenge; he actually enjoyed them. Sirius’s possessive marking of his territory would not, in and of itself, deter him. Sin had the impression that despite his ‘hands off my boyfriend’ attitude, Sirius was not one to date any one person exclusively. And Sin didn’t like men with double standards in their dating. If that was his attitude, he deserved a little competition for Remus. However, Sin was not enough of a cad to interfere with true love, either. Remus’s happy smile and flushed cheeks after being held by Sirius spoke volumes for how he felt.

He looked around for Simon and spotted him standing between his Aunt Constance and Uncle Edgar. Simon was silently pleading for rescue. Sin laughed and blew him a kiss, reminding his friend of their deal. Then he strode forward, threw an arm around Simon’s shoulders and whispered to the aunt and uncle, “I really need to take a piss, but I’m too drunk to remember how to do it. Let me borrow Simon to show me how.” Then he pulled Simon into the house.

“God, you’re dreadful,” Simon muttered, shaking his head. “I’m starting to see why my mother can’t stand you. And where were you, anyway? I’ve been trying to escape from them forever.”

Sin flopped down on a very uncomfortable Regency sofa with a sigh. “Make up your mind, Mate. You want me to rescue you, but you criticize how I do it.”

“Exactly. You could have said—-”

Sin didn’t want to hear how he should have handled the situation, so he decided to interrupt by answering the earlier question. “I was down by the stream flirting with a gorgeous young thing.”

“Who?” Simon seemed quite surprised that the guest list had included anyone for Simon to flirt with.

“One of Peter’s friends, Remus. The one with brown hair and the beautiful brown and gold eyes.”

Simon frowned. “One of Peter’s friends? They’re just kids.”

“Au contraire, mon ami. They've finished school, so in the eyes of the Ministry, they are full-fledged adults. And trust me, he’s _not_ a virgin.”

“Oh? I didn’t think you were gone from the party long enough to seduce anyone.”

Sin laughed. He briefly considered pointing out that Simon had just moments ago said that he was gone ‘forever,’ but refrained. “No. You know Peter’s friend Sirius, the one so gorgeous that he could make even you hard?” 

“Yes, I know the one you mean. And no, he doesn’t.”

“Anything you say, Closet Case. Anyway, my point is, if you were Sirius’s boyfriend, would you still be a virgin?”

“Remus and Sirius? You’re kidding. Peter’s such a little homophobe--he’d just curl up and die if he found out two of his best friends—-two of his _dorm mates_ —are gay.”

“That’s the impression I got, and you know I’m usually right.”

“Hmm.” Simon thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

* * * * *

As the party went on, Sin noticed that he couldn’t get within three yards of Remus without feeling Sirius’s eyes bore into him. And if he got within a yard, Sirius was on the move to stand beside Remus. _“Possessive bugger,”_ he thought. He almost decided not to speak to Remus again, but then he saw Sirius flirting with one of his female classmates. It was possible that he just flirted with women to cover up his relationship with Remus, but perhaps it was something more. When he saw Remus staring sadly at his feet while Sirius flirted with the young woman beside them, his decision was made. 

“Simon, do me an enormous favour, would you?” he quietly asked his friend.

“Only if it gets me out of kissing you in front of my aunt,” Simon replied.

Sin sighed dramatically and threw an arm over his eyes. “All right, spurn my advances. Break my heart. See if I care.” He dropped his arm and spoke earnestly again. “I want a couple of minutes to speak with Remus alone, but Sirius won’t let me anywhere near him. Help me.”

Simon laughed. “You bounce back quickly from a broken heart, don’t you? All right, I’ll do it. Give me a minute to figure out _how_ to do it, but I’ll do it.” Just then, Remus wandered away from the group surrounding Sirius and toward Peter. His path was going to take him past the French doors into the house. “Go get him, Fairy Boy. I’ll run interference with his boyfriend. Good luck.”

Simon headed for Sirius and his admirers, and Sin headed for Remus. He reached him just in front of the open door.

“Remus, could I speak to you for a minute?”

“Sure.”

Sin glanced over his shoulder and saw that Sirius had his back to them as he spoke to Simon. “Could we step inside?” Remus nodded and followed him in. Sin was careful to move far enough into the room that Sirius would not see them through the open door.

“I don’t know if you and Sirius date other people or not, but if you do date other people, I’d really like to see you again.”

“Me?” Remus looked quite surprised.

 _“No, your evil twin who looks exactly like you.”_ Sin suddenly realized that with a name like Remus, he just might have a twin. He was very glad he not spoken that flippant comment aloud. “Yes. Would you like to go out sometime?”

Remus glanced toward the French doors, toward Sirius. “I’m not sure. It might not be a good idea.”

“I understand. If you change your mind, you can get my address from Peter. I share a flat with his brother Simon, but I think I already told you that.”

Remus nodded and smiled. “Thanks for asking me, St. John. And, um, would you do me a favour? Peter has no idea about Sirius and me.”

“He won’t hear it from Simon or me,” Sin assured him.

“Thanks. Are Sirius and I really that obvious?”

“No, I was just watching closely.”

Sin watched Remus go back outside and then sat down, frowning. He knew better than to walk out with him and risk angering the possessive boyfriend. He didn’t care if Sirius became angry with him, but he didn’t want him angry with Remus. Something about the way Remus had said, “It might not be a good idea,” worried him. Remus almost seemed afraid. Sin hoped he was just being paranoid. 

 

_—Written March 2003_


	2. Gibbous Moon

February 1983

As he passed through the Leaky Cauldron on his way back from Diagon Alley toward his flat in Muggle London, St. John glanced at each of the pub’s patrons, looking for a friendly face. A man in Muggle clothing, sitting alone at a small table near the fire and writing in a notebook, caught his eye.

 _“Sort of a familiar face—someone I met at Hogwarts? Someone I met at work? Someone I slept with?”_ Just then, the man looked up and scanned the room until he locked eyes with St. John. A trick of the light created the momentary illusion of gold flashing from his eyes, like the flash of light from the eyes of a nocturnal animal. _“Gold eyes? Oh—Remus—the one that got away.”_ Sin smiled at the younger man and was rewarded with the shy smile that had intrigued him several years earlier. He made his way through the room to Remus’s table.

“Remus? I don’t know if you remem—”

“Hello, St. John. Would you like to sit down?”

Sin grinned. He was flattered to be remembered so many years later. “Very much. Just let me go get a drink first. What can I get you?”

“No, I’m fine,” Remus replied. An empty teacup sat near his elbow.

“Let me buy you one drink,” Sin coaxed. “You don’t want Tom to toss you out because you aren’t having anything, do you?”

Remus glanced at the bald innkeeper and then smiled up at Sin. “If you put it that way, something warm would be nice. I’m having trouble thawing out today.”

Sin ordered two butterbeers and returned to Remus’s table. Remus had put away his notebook and was ready to give Sin his full attention.

“How have you been, Remus? I haven’t seen you since the first time we met, and so much has happened since then.”

Remus held the warm glass between his palms and stared down at it sadly. “I won’t complain. I was the lucky one, remember? How have the Pettigrews been since Peter died?”

“They’re doing much better now. Prudence was devastated, of course; Peter was her baby. But a new grandson has been the best possible medicine” 

Remus looked up and smiled at that news. 

“I was surprised you weren’t at the funeral.”

Remus’s smile vanished, and he took a large sip of his drink. Sin’s heart sank as he realized how tactless he had just been.

“Oh dragon’s bollocks, that was the wrong thing to say. I’m sorry, Remus. I guess the funeral would have been hellishly uncomfortable for you, considering everything.”

Remus shook his head slightly. “No, I wanted to go. I couldn’t.”

Sin understood. “Prudence.”

“No, not her.” Remus seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to explain. He took another sip of the butterbeer and continued to look at it as he spoke. “The Ministry. I was ‘brought in for questioning’ on the day Peter died. They thought I might have been Sirius’s accomplice. By the time I was cleared and released, I had missed the funerals.” He looked up expectantly at Sin, waiting to see his reaction to the news that Remus had been a suspect. 

Sin nodded and smiled encouragingly. _“I guess it would have been strange if he hadn’t been suspected.”_

Remus seemed emboldened to continue. “After I was released, I went to Mrs. Pettigrew’s house to offer my condolences, but she wouldn’t see me.”

Sin nodded again. “Understandable. Unfair, but understandable. Your lover killed her son.”

Remus shook his head and sat back. “No, she didn’t know that—doesn’t know that—unless you or Simon told her. Peter never knew about Sirius and me. We stopped sleeping together before we got up the nerve to tell Peter, so we never told him.”

“Then why wouldn’t Prudence talk to you?” Sin asked. The question was as much rhetorical as it was addressed to Remus.

“As a matter of fact,” Remus said, smiling slightly again, “Sirius and I broke up in _your_ place in Switzerland.”

“Really?” Sin realized that Remus was shifting the subject away the depressing topics discussed so far. He needed to capitalize on this shift. “Well, I hope that fact hasn’t soured you to the charms of that particular location.”

“No. In retrospect, that was probably the only time I ever made an intelligent decision regarding Sirius.” He rubbed at his wrist absently. 

“Good,” Sin said with a smile as he leaned forward and put his hand atop Remus’s. “Now I have a fighting chance of talking you into going there with me.”

Remus didn’t reply, but he didn’t pull his hand away either. 

_“Full speed ahead,”_ Sin thought. He glanced at his watch. _“Almost quarter of six.”_ “You know, I hate to eat alone. Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner tonight, and we can continue this conversation?”

Remus pulled his hand back. “No, I don’t thi—” 

“I’ve been told that I’m a very good cook. And if you’re worried about my _dishonourable_ intentions, I rarely sleep with anyone on the first date, so you should be safe from the big bad wolf, at least tonight.” He gave Remus his best flirtatious grin.

A strange look crossed Remus’s face as he considered. “Actually, I was more worried that _you_ might not be safe from the big bad wolf, but if it’s just dinner—I accept.”

At Remus’s words, Sin felt his stomach give a nervous flip, and another more familiar sensation just below. When he did finally get this one into bed, things might go a bit differently than he assumed. Remus might not be the shy thing he seemed to be. Sin found the uncertainty quite an exciting prospect. He pulled out his calling card and pushed it across the table.

“Good. I have a few errands to run on my way home, but I’ll be there by six-thirty at the latest. I’ll aim to have dinner ready at seven-thirty, so you can arrive anytime between the two.”

Remus read the address and nodded. Sin finished his drink and stood to leave.

“Sin? Um, this is going to sound bizarre, but—” Remus bit his lower lip nervously. 

_“Let me bite your lip, Golden Eyes,”_ Sin thought. He was quite glad that he was wearing a loose robe today instead of tight Muggle trousers. He shifted his cloak in front of himself, just in case. “Try me. I doubt you could say anything that I’d find bizarre.”

“If I get there early enough, would you mind terribly if I took a bath? You see, where I’m living now is kind of cold and drafty, and I’d really love to take a warm bath in a warm room.”

Sin smiled, both at the cute way Remus had rushed through the explanation and at the very, _very_ appealing idea of Remus nude in his bathtub. “No, I don’t mind. I’ll get out my best towels.”

* * * * *

Sin actually had only one errand to run before Remus came over, to the market for a few dinner ingredients. He wanted the extra time to straighten up his flat and make it seduction ready. Although it was true that he didn’t generally sleep with someone on the first date, he had no rule against it either. Clean sheets on the bed seemed wise. _“Navy blue. Remus’s pale skin will be beautiful against the dark sheets.”_ He double-checked the contents of the wooden box on his bedside table—various massage oils and lubricants, both scented and not.

A few candles were already in the bathroom. What wizard’s home didn’t have candles throughout the house? Sin added a few more. The flat was in a Muggle section of the city and had electricity. He hoped that if he provided enough candles, Remus would forego the harsh electric lights and stay with mood setting candlelight. He hung up some large, soft towels, mentally thanking the former lover whose love of baths for two had prompted the purchase. He hung a silky dressing gown on the back of the door and ran his hand down the folds of fabric, imagining the feel of Remus’s hard body beneath the slithery fabric. But the fabric felt cold to the touch.

“A warm bath in a warm room,” Remus had said. There was no way Remus would put this on after his bath. He’d put his warm clothes back on instead. Sin returned the dressing gown to his bedroom and selected a cosy terry cloth dressing gown instead. Remus _might_ put this one on after his bath. _“Warm, cozy, safe—those are the key words for seduction tonight.”_

 

Sin had just opened a bottle of red wine when he heard a knock on the door. “Hello, Gorgeous. You’re right on time.”

Remus blushed, smiling, at Sin’s greeting. He hesitated outside the doorway. Sin decided not to crowd him, literally or figuratively. He headed back toward the wine and called over his shoulder, “Come on in. Hang your jacket beside the door. I just opened some red wine. Would you like a glass? You can take it in with you for your bath.” He heard the door close as he spoke.

“Yes, I would. Thank you.”

“It hasn’t had time to breathe, but—” Sin turned, holding a glass of wine and watched Remus approach. He was wearing the same Muggle clothing that he had been wearing in the Leaky Cauldron, a large navy sweater with a gold stripe across the chest and a pair of not-quite-tight-enough jeans. Sin enjoyed the way men looked in Muggle clothing, but he was disappointed on two counts. First, the jeans weren’t tight enough to hug Remus’s ass, and second, Muggle clothing posed a few more obstacles to actually getting to that cute ass. 

_“I really hope you put on that dressing gown after your bath,”_ he thought. He handed Remus the wineglass, but Remus managed to take it without touching Sin’s hand. _“This isn’t going to be easy.”_

“Thank you,” Remus murmured before taking a sip. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I take a bath? I know it was really a strange thing to ask. I mean, you barely know me, and—”

“Of course I don’t mind.” Sin smiled and poured himself a glass. “I won’t be very good company for a little while anyway, ingredients to prepare and such. I’ll be less distracted from making dinner if my handsome dinner date isn’t in view. Then, when you feel warmed up, you can come back out and keep me company.” He held Remus’s gaze as he took a sip of his wine. “I’ll flirt with you while I add the finishing touches to dinner.”

This time, Remus did not blush nor did he look away nervously. _“I can’t figure this one out,”_ Sin thought as he let his eyes travel down Remus’s body and then back up to find Remus still watching his eyes. _“One minute his body language says go slow, the next minute—”_

Sin took a few steps backward toward the bathroom. “Let me show you where the bathroom is.” Remus began to follow him, and Sin turned around to lead the way properly. “Actually, you aren’t the first man who has come here wanting to use the bathtub,” he pushed the door open and stepped back to allow Remus to see the candlelit room, “but he always used the tub _with_ me.”

Remus stopped in the doorway and looked into Sin’s face again, not speaking. He couldn’t enter the room without brushing against Sin’s arm—Sin hadn’t been foolish enough to step _that_ far back. Something about Remus’s silent stare was unsettling—and very exciting. Sin laughed nervously. “Sorry, didn’t mean to imply anything.” _“Like hell, I didn’t.”_ “No strings attached to the use of the tub.” He backed away another step, giving Remus free access to the bathroom. “I’ll be in the kitchen, and you can have your privacy. But, um, if you want someone to wash your back, or anything else, just call.” Sin dropped his eyes and hurried back to the kitchen.

 

Remus did not call, nor did he choose to wear the dressing gown. _“So much for hoping that taking a bath was a ploy of his to shed a few layers of clothing. At least the sweater’s off.”_ He entered the kitchen wearing his jeans and the white button-down shirt that had previously been beneath the sweater. It looked almost freshly-pressed, and Sin surmised that Remus had performed a cleaning charm on his clothes.

“Feeling warmer?”

“Much. Dinner smells wonderful. What can I do to help?”

“Why don’t you toss the salad, and I’ll check on the pasta and the veal. You aren’t philosophically opposed to eating veal, are you?”

“No.” Remus chuckled at some private joke. “The sauce smells wonderful. Oregano, red pepper, anchovies—” He identified a few ingredients by scent alone. “Are you following a recipe or improvising?”

“A little of both. It’s puttanesca sauce; legend has it that Italian prostitutes used it to _lure_ their customers.” Sin openly leered at Remus for a moment before returning his attention to the stove. “The first few times I made it, I used a recipe. Now I do it from memory and fudge on the ingredients and the amounts a bit. Hand me the pepper grinder, will you?” Sin put his hand partially over Remus’s as he took the tall wooden grinder from him. Remus returned his smile and then carried the salad bowl to the table. _“Well, it seems that my leaving him alone while he was in the bath has put him more at ease.”_ “Tell me about yourself, Remus. I don’t even know your last name yet.”

“Lupin, but we already talked about me at the Leaky Cauldron. What do you do for a living, Sin?”

Sin finished tossing the pasta with the sauce and began to put the food on the plates. “Well, I was expected to go into the family business, Great-Great-etc.-Grandmother’s invention.” Remus looked faintly puzzled. “Remember your History of Magic—Floo Powder—Ignatia Wildsmith.” He put the plates on the candlelit table, and they each took a seat.

“Oh! It’s hard to remember anything from that class. Just staying awake was an achievement.” Remus refilled Sin’s wineglass for him.

“Wasn’t it, though? Anyway, Simon pointed out that my brother, my cousin, and I couldn’t agree on anything, so running a business together was not a wise idea. I reconsidered and went my own way. I currently work for the Nimbus Racing Broom Company. We recently achieved the coup of getting the entire English and Scottish National Teams, and all the Magpies on our broomsticks. League Champs—it’s great publicity.”

“Congratulations,” Remus said as he toasted Sin with an almost empty wineglass. Sin grabbed the bottle and refilled Remus’s glass.

“Ah—but that’s not what I’m most proud of.” He paused dramatically to eat a few bites of food. “You see, it’s easy to win over _most_ of the players. Run a few speed trials, prove you have the fastest broom of the moment, and the Seekers, Chasers, and Beaters all want your broomstick. The trick has always been winning over the Keepers. They don’t need or want _fast_ , they need manoeuvrable and responsive.”

Remus nodded and continued to eat.

“For years, all the major broomstick manufacturers have modified their top-of-the line brooms on a case by case basis in order to make them better suited for the professional Keepers. Then they can do what we just did, boast about having an entire winning team on our broomsticks. But the truth was, the brooms we provided to our chosen professional Keepers had only a cosmetic similarity to the ones we were selling to the public.”

“Why didn’t you create a line of broomsticks designed for Keepers?”

Sin sat back and laughed. “Steal my thunder, why don’t you? It _was_ the obvious thing to do, but apparently either I was the first one to suggest it, or I was the first one to follow through with the idea. The prototypes are being used by various Keepers all over the League, and we’re preparing for a spring launch of the line.” Sin shook his head and laughed again. “Promise me you’ll never work for one of my competitors, Remus. It took me a few years to have that brilliant idea, and it took you five minutes.”

Remus smiled and looked down at his plate. “No, it was just the way you explained the situation—that’s what made the answer clear.” He looked up again still smiling. “ _You_ are the one who identified the problem and turned it into an opportunity.”

Sin reached across the table to touch Remus’s hand. “My bruised ego and I thank you.” Remus turned his hand over and grasped Sin’s fingers for a moment before pulling his hand away.

“Has Simon moved out, or did you tell him to disappear for the evening?” Remus asked as he laid his flatware down on his plate.

 _“Are you wondering if we’ll be alone all night?”_ Sin wondered. “Simon moved out. He eloped last summer with a former classmate of ours, Kitty Whitaker. Dear Prudence was a bit miffed that Kitty is Muggle-born, but the fact she’s _female_ more than made up for it.” Remus genuinely laughed at that, and Sin grinned. “Yeah, Simon knew _exactly_ what he was doing when he tortured his mother with me.” 

“Dinner was wonderful, Sin. Whoever told you that you’re a good cook told the truth. May I do the dishes?’

Sin shook his head and emptied the remainder of the wine bottle into their glasses. “My mother insists on sending one of their house elves over here every night. If I don’t leave _something_ for the poor little dear to do, she gets quite frantic. Just leave everything where it is and come join me on the sofa.” 

Sin grabbed his glass of wine as he stood up and was pleased to see Remus following suit. He left enough room to his right that Remus could choose whether or not to sit close to him. _“O.K., he isn’t sitting nearly as close to me as the time we sat by the stream, but he isn’t to the extreme right either. Within easy touching distance.”_ He summoned a large heart-shaped box from a nearby shelf. “Don’t laugh. Simon and I always buy each other these just after St. Valentine’s Day. We started doing it as a joke when we were kids and now—” He shrugged.

“And now you do it because it’s your tradition.”

“Exactly. I didn’t make any dessert, but maybe you like chocolate?”

“No thank you.”

Sin selected one and then put the box on the table behind the sofa. “Things to remember about Remus Lupin: he does like veal, but he doesn’t like chocolate.”

Remus laughed. “Actually, most of the time, I _adore_ chocolate. Just every so often it stops appealing to me for a few days.” He looked down at his hands sadly. “It was one of the things my friends always teased me about. They’d steal and eat my chocolate frogs on those days, saying that since I couldn’t eat them anyway—then a few days later, my chocolate frog supply was always replenished. They always put back more frogs than they took.”

“They were good friends.”

“The best.” Remus’s left hand slipped under the edge of his right sleeve as if he was feeling for a watch. Sin held his breath hoping that Remus wasn’t about to say he had to leave already, but Remus merely stroked his wrist and looked into Sin’s face again.

“Would you mind if I kissed you?” Remus asked.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

They each leaned forward to close the distance between them, Sin placing one hand on Remus’s leg and cupping his face with the other. Remus kept his hands to himself. The first kiss was tentative, soft. Lips meeting lips and the faintest taste of the warm mouth he wanted to explore. Remus looked down at Sin’s hand and clasped it within both of his own, stroking the palm with the fingers of the hand below. As Remus had turned his head, Sin’s other hand had slipped from Remus’s cheek to his neck. Remus closed his eyes as he rubbed his neck against that hand. Sin’s level of arousal had varied throughout the evening as he watched and listened to Remus. Now, as he felt the strong sinews and muscles of Remus’s neck and saw the blissful expression on Remus’s face, he grew undeniably hard. It was all too easy to imagine that expression on Remus’s face as he stroked more of his strong body.

“Kiss me again,” Sin whispered.

Remus turned and stared into Sin’s eyes. The intense gaze of Remus’s strangely coloured eyes excited Sin even more than it had earlier in the evening. He wanted to see Remus watching him as they made love. There was nothing tentative about Remus’s kiss this time. One of Remus’s hands slid behind the nape of Sin’s neck and drew him close. Hot and wet, tangled tongues and lips; the kiss of two people who have not yet learned the other’s ways, but desire to do so. Sin’s hand continued stroking Remus’s inner thigh and deliberately inched higher with every stroke, until it was no longer Remus’s leg receiving his ministrations. Remus’s left hand hovered over Sin’s hand as if waiting for a message from his brain to stop what the other man was doing, but the messenger was waylaid on the way.

Remus was suddenly up in Sin’s lap, straddling him, pressing him back against the sofa. His tongue was deep in Sin’s mouth, exploring, insistent. Sin knew he wanted much more than Remus’s tongue in his mouth—and soon. Remus’s hands pulled at Sin’s robe, pulling it open, trying to get to his skin. Sin tugged at Remus’s shirt, trying to pull it free of the waistband of his jeans. Remus grabbed both of his wrists and pinned them back against the sofa.

“No!” Remus growled harshly. He kept Sin’s hands pinned while he kissed and nipped Sin’s throat. Sin was torn between surrendering himself to the thrill of being controlled and his desire to touch every inch of Remus. He struggled to pull his hands free, but Remus was stronger.

Remus pulled back just enough to stare into Sin’s eyes again. He blinked and bolted away from him. “I’m sorry—this was a mistake—I have to leave.” Remus had already grabbed his jacket and was about to open the door when Sin caught up to him and grasped his arm. Remus froze in his tracks but kept his face turned away.

“Slow down, Remus. Talk to me,” Sin begged. “Did I do something wrong? Tell me what you want.”

“I know what I _don’t_ want.” Remus’s voice was only just above a whisper, but Sin listened carefully. “I don’t want Sirius Black to be the only person I’ve ever had sex with.”

“No one else?”

Remus shook his head slightly.

“Then why are you running away? Stay the night.”

“Not tonight.”

“All right, not tonight, I promise.” Sin released Remus’s arm and took a step back. “Just don’t run away.”

“I need to leave. I’m sorry.”

Sin stroked the side of Remus’s neck, hoping to inspire the earlier reaction. “When can I see you again?”

Remus turned to look at him, but his brow was furrowed and his eyes troubled. “Do you really want to know when I’ll be able to see you again, or when I’ll go to bed with you? Either is fine, but they’re two different answers.”

Sin really, really wanted to get this one into bed, now more than ever, but it was not all he wanted. He found that he enjoyed Remus’s company. “Both?”

“One week, and two weeks.”

“Then I’ll see you in a week.”

Remus smiled faintly and went out the door. Sin wandered over to the window overlooking the street. He watched Remus walk out of the building. Remus paused when he reached the sidewalk and stared up at the sky for several long moments. Sin looked up to see what had gotten Remus’s attention. An owl, perhaps? He saw only the moon and the stars, all shining with cold light in the clear winter sky. He looked at the sidewalk again, but Remus was gone. Sin glanced up at the sky one more time before leaving the window. _“Full moon? No, not quite. Maybe tomorrow or the night after.”_

 

_—Written March 2003_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stole the phrase “tangled tongues and lips” from the song “Say Goodbye” by Dave Matthews. It seemed appropriate since the same song provided the titles for the first two stories in this series. And yes, Sin does keep calling Prudence Pettigrew “Dear Prudence” because he is a Beatles fan.
> 
> Why doesn’t Remus spend the night? The answer is in the last paragraph. Why doesn’t he let Sin pull off his shirt? If you don’t know, you’ll have to wait until Sin figures it out in the next chapter.


	3. New Moon

March 1983

Almost a week passed before an owl arrived from Remus, inviting Sin to spend the afternoon with him visiting the greenhouses of magical plants at Briarvine Gardens. A date in a public place—Remus seemed to be taking his “no sex for two weeks” rule seriously.

The greenhouses turned out to be a good choice of location for their date. The warm air, thick with the scents of moist earth, compost, and a myriad of flowers, inevitably brought forth memories of herbology class. Remus told of the time Peter had saved him from being bitten by a Venomous Tentacula, only to be bitten himself. Peter had ended up being the lucky one, however, for he was in the hospital wing when his classmates had a surprise quiz later that day in Transfiguration. Soon they were swapping more stories of their time at Hogwarts. Sin had graduated just before Remus started, so he really was quite surprised to hear how much mischief Remus and his friends had accomplished. Only later would Sin realize that Remus had limited his reminiscences to his first four or five years.

Sin told Remus about coming out to his four dorm mates during sixth year. One dorm mate had declared that he was “perverted” and “sinful.” Within two days, he moved into the fifth year boys’ dormitory to get away from Sin. Two had claimed that they were “O.K.” with it, but started avoiding him, _and_ they went to great lengths never to undress in front of him again. Simon had declared, “You’re still the same person you were yesterday, and if I ever start to act differently, you have my permission to hex me.”

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the last greenhouse, so they agreed to go have tea together in a little shop nearby. As he poured tea for both of them, Sin realized that there was a question he had never asked.

“You never told me what you do for a living, Remus. How do you fill your days?”

“A bit of this and that.” Remus began tearing a sandwich apart nervously.

“Ah, yes, I’m quite fond of ‘this and that.’ Is this part of the secretive Remus Lupin mystique?”

“I do some freelance writing, mostly for DADA journals, and—um—sometimes I create wards and such for those who need them.” Remus continued to look down at the sandwich that he was tearing into crumbs.

“The call for that sort of thing must have fallen off dramatically after You-Know-Who vanished.”

Remus nodded. “Lately my best customers have been werewolves who need help with silencing charms and confinement spells on the places where they spend the full moon.” He looked up at Sin, biting his lower lip.

“Werewolves? You mean their families or someone hire you?”

Remus appeared puzzled. “No, they hire me themselves. Most of them are Muggles and can’t create the spells themselves. I help them ensure that they won’t hurt anyone. It’s very important to them that they don’t.”

Sin took a sip of tea as he considered this. It was difficult to reconcile this with the fact that werewolves had an uncontrollable drive to run free and hunt humans. However, if a werewolf did bite or kill a human being, the Ministry would destroy it. He concluded that the instinct for self-preservation must push some werewolves into confining themselves at the full moon.

“I guess I can understand that,” Sin said at last. “Still, you’re a braver man than I am if you deal with werewolves. I’ll stick with Quidditch players.”

* * * * *

After one more date in a public place—meeting in Diagon Alley for lunch—the anticipated evening was almost at hand. Sin was trying to get some paperwork done so it wouldn’t be hanging over his head during his date with Remus tomorrow night. He wondered which Remus would show up, the shy young man who asked permission before giving him an almost chaste kiss, or the aggressive one who pinned him against the sofa while biting his neck. He had just remembered to leave a note for the house elf instructing her to be sure to clean the bathtub and the rest of the bathroom— _“Maybe this time, Remus will want company in his bath,”_ —when he heard a soft knock on the door. He opened it to find Remus standing there with crossed arms and a furrowed brow. 

“Remus! I didn’t expect—”

“I’m a day early; I know. If this is a bad time, I’ll go. I just needed to talk to you about something.”

“No, it’s fine,” Sin said as he stepped back to allow Remus in. “I’m always happy to see you, Gorgeous. Come in and make yourself at home.”

Remus came in and took off his cloak but did not hang it up. He carried it over his arm as he wandered to the window. He stood where Sin had stood two weeks earlier and stared out at the darkness.

 _“He kept his cloak; he wants to be able to leave quickly,”_ Sin concluded. “You’re here to break our date, aren’t you?”

“Perhaps—I’m not certain. It’s up to you.” His voice seemed sad.

Although Remus was actually a few inches taller than Sin, and Sin had firsthand knowledge that Remus was stronger, the younger man looked very vulnerable before the dark window.

“There’s a Muggle expression—I’m going to mangle it, I know,” Sin said as he approached Remus slowly, “about people trying to ignore a large gorilla sitting in the corner, but the gorilla can’t be ignored. Our gorilla in the corner is sex.” He put one hand on Remus’s arm, half expecting Remus to flinch away, but he did not. “Two weeks ago, you said that I’d have to wait two weeks, but now you’re having second thoughts.”

Remus nodded. Sin slipped his arms around the thin man’s waist. “It’s all right. We’ll go as slow as you need to go. I’ll need a lot of cold showers, but someone as gorgeous as you is worth waiting for.”

“That’s not the problem,” Remus said quietly. “Could we go sit on the sofa? I need to tell you something.”

Sin held Remus’s hand and led him to the sofa. Remus dropped his cloak on the floor beside his feet and sat staring down at his hands clasped between his knees.

“You’re probably going to hate me when I tell you this. I hate myself for this.”

Sin wanted to say that there was nothing Remus could say to make him hate him, but self-loathing evident in Remus’s voice held him back. “Go on.”

“I’m still in love with Sirius. I hate what he did, and I hate what he became, but that wasn’t _my_ Sirius. I haven’t been able to fall out of love with the Sirius I remember.” Remus waited silently for Sin’s reaction.

Sin didn’t know which disappointed him more, the fact that more than a year after being imprisoned, Sirius Black was still causing his former lover pain, or the knowledge that Remus would not be sharing his bed.

“That’s why you don’t want to sleep with me.”

“No,” Remus looked up sharply. “That’s why I do. I don’t want to love him. I want to forget him. But I’m using you, and it’s not fair. I thought it would be all right. I wanted to use you, and you—” He broke off in embarrassment and looked at his hands again.

“And I wanted to use you,” Sin supplied for him.

“But the last two weeks, you’ve been great. I like spending time with you, Sin. I like you. I couldn’t go any further unless you knew how I felt—about Sirius, and about you.”

“Remus, the usual lifespan of my relationships is anywhere from one night to six months. I’m not looking for the great love affair of my life. I just want to enjoy your company for awhile.” He pulled Remus’s hand into his lap. “And as you can tell, right now I’ll enjoy your company even more if you’ll come to bed with me. Or do I have to wait for tomorrow night?”

Remus smiled in relief and momentarily stroked Sin through his robe. “No, tonight’s fine.”

Sin leaned forward to kiss Remus and slip an arm around his lower back. “C’mon, Gorgeous,” he whispered. He kept his arm around Remus as he steered him into the bedroom. 

A few candles lit themselves as they entered the bedroom. Just at the foot of the bed, Remus turned to face Sin. He untied Sin’s belt and pulled his robe open. He kissed Sin’s mouth and jaw and neck as he slipped his hands under Sin’s robe and stroked his skin. Sin shivered with pleasure at the touch of Remus’s cool and slightly calloused hands. Sin reciprocated the kisses, but when he tried to untie Remus’s belt, Remus grabbed his wrists and held them still.

“No, put out the candles first.”

Sin wanted to see Remus’s strong, lean body almost as much as he wanted to touch it. He wanted to see the blissful expression on Remus’s face again. He wanted to see the gold and chocolate eyes wild with lust.

“I want to see you, Remus. You’re so beautiful.”

“No.” Remus’s voice was firm. Sin was not going to get his way in this, not tonight, at least. He was disappointed, but he did as he was told.

* * * * *

Sin awoke the next morning to find himself alone. He had been afraid this would happen. Remus only needed one night to exorcise the demon of never having slept with anyone except Sirius Black. 

“Shit,” he swore under his breath as reached to touch the empty side of the bed.

“Is something wrong?” asked a placid voice from the doorway. Remus re-entered the bedroom already dressed. His light brown hair was still damp from a bath. He sat on the edge of the bed, and Sin wrapped his arms around him.

“I was afraid that you left without saying goodbye,” Sin admitted.

“No, I just needed a bath, and I didn’t want to be underfoot while you were getting ready for work.”

“Such a considerate house guest. Of course, you could be even more considerate,” Sin began to untie the belt of Remus’s robe, “and get out of those silly clothes. I have _plenty_ of time before work.”

Remus pushed Sin’s hands away and stood up. “Not this morning. You may have plenty of time, but I have to be on my way soon.”

“You are coming back tonight, aren’t you?” Sin asked plaintively as he sat up and reached for Remus’s hand. He was very worried that the answer would be, “No.”

Remus’s brow furrowed for a moment. “Of course I am—oh!” His eyes widened in understanding, and he returned to the edge of the bed. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Six-thirty, right? I told your owl where I live, so if something comes up and you need to change plans, you can get in touch with me.”

Sin chuckled at that. “My owl gets to know where you live, but I don’t?”

Remus kissed Sin’s cheek and stood up to leave. “That’s right. All part of the ‘secretive Remus Lupin mystique’ you said I have.”

* * * * *

Sin stirred earlier than he usually did on Sunday morning. He probably would have fallen back asleep, but he needed to peek and see if Remus was really still there. Remus was still sleeping soundly, lying on his stomach, his arms tucked under the pillow to cradle his head. Sin propped himself up on an elbow to gaze at Remus. Although they had made love three nights in a row, Sin hadn’t yet seen the body of his new lover. Remus insisted on complete darkness before he’d allow Sin to undress him, and he always rose and dressed before Sin awoke. 

He was really quite attractive: long brown lashes, golden-tinged stubble of a beard, strong jaw, well-muscled shoulders and upper arms. Sin wished Remus were facing him so he could see his muscular chest as well. Instead, he looked at his shoulders and the part of his arm that wasn’t hidden by the pillow. A long thin line of pink, a faint scar, caught his eye. As he followed it with his eyes, he started to notice more scars—older—faded to white. His left arm had been torn apart quite badly in some sort of accident.

Sin sat up more to see Remus’s back, but when his shadow stopped shielding Remus’s eyes from the sunlight, Remus squinted and turned onto his side. Remus’s back had only a few scars, but his right arm was now fully visible. It had as many thin scars as his left, but more importantly, a scar at least three inches wide completely encircled his wrist. This scar was _not_ from an accident. None of the scars were from an accident. Someone had abused Remus, and Sin was certain that he knew who.

Remus seemed unable to fall back asleep in the ever-lightening room. He rolled onto his back and blinked his eyes open. He looked over, saw Sin watching him, and panic filled his eyes. 

“Damn!” Remus murmured as he bolted out of bed and grabbed his shirt off the floor. He pulled it on as quickly as he could, but Sin followed him out of bed and grabbed his arms before he could go after his jeans.

“I _saw_ the scars. Is that why you never let me see you?” Remus stood very still as he waited for Sin to say more. He seemed paler than usual. “Come back to bed, Remus. We have to talk.”

Remus sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes downcast. Sin pulled on a dressing gown and sat in front of him. Remus’s unbuttoned shirt hid his arms, but Sin could see now that his torso and legs had even worse scars. He knew that in the darkness, his hands had undoubtedly brushed over many of them. Either he hadn’t thought about what he was feeling, or in the heat of the moment he had not cared. Sin now traced his finger along a particularly nasty one on Remus’s thigh.

“This was a bad one,” he said quietly.

“It just looks that way because it never got treated correctly,” Remus said calmly. He spoke of the scars marring his body like someone else would discuss a crack marring a teacup.

“Why not?”

“I was alone, and my wand was in another room. I lost some blood, and by the time I was strong enough to get my wand, it had already started to heal. I just left it alone.”

It was bad enough that Sirius had injured Remus, but that he had left Remus alone to possibly bleed to death— “How long were you alone?” 

Remus shrugged. 

“Bastard!” Sin swore vehemently. “I’m so sorry, Remus. The first time I met you, I had a bad feeling that Sirius was hurting you. I should have said something; I should have done something.”

Remus looked up to meet Sin’s eyes for the first time since he sat down. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly open in shock. “No,” he said faintly. “Not Sirius.”

Sin wasn’t sure he believed him. Remus wouldn’t be the first person to protect his own abuser by lying for him, and Sin believed that he might be trying to protect the memory of whom Sirius had once been. Or, the scars could be even older and tell a tale of childhood abuse. Sin tried to sound stern and to coerce the truth from Remus. “Tell me the truth, Remus. Who did this to you?”

Remus dropped his eyes again. For several long moments he said nothing. Sin became convinced that his first guess was right. “I did,” Remus finally said.

“Do you expect me to believe you’re the most accident prone person alive?”

Remus didn’t answer right away. He looked at Sin carefully before he spoke again. “No, they weren’t accidents. Well, a few of them were, like this one I got when my cauldron exploded in Potions class. I always was hopeless in Potions.” Remus smiled as he pointed to a faint scratch along his hairline.

“Don’t joke about it, Remus,” Sin scolded.

“Would you rather I cry about it?” Remus asked coolly. “Look, I do this to myself, and I’ve been doing it most of my life. This is the latest. I did this two weeks ago.” Remus turned his leg to reveal a patch of pale pink skin with an irregular outline. It was stretched over a slight depression in the underlying muscle. For the scar to be this faded after only two weeks, Remus had undoubtedly healed it with his wand. And for the scar to be this visible after being healed with a wand, it must have been a gory mess.

 _“Two weeks ago?”_ The significance of that struck Sin. “The night you left here?”

“No, a couple of nights after that.” Remus cupped Sin’s face in his hands and looked intently into his eyes. “It had _nothing_ to do with you, Sin.” 

Sin was willing to believe Remus about when he had injured himself, but not why. If Remus really was hurting himself, he was probably doing it in reaction to problems in his life, and he had been very agitated when he left the flat two weeks ago.

“What about this one?” Sin asked as he pointed to the cuff of Remus’s right sleeve.

“All Saints’ Day, nineteen eighty-one,” Remus replied. Sin started to search his mind for the significance of that date, but Remus supplied it for him. “The day I learned that all my friends were dead.”

Remus wouldn’t make up a story like that. Remus was injuring himself, and he was doing it when things in his life went badly. “Come back to bed, Remus. It’s chilly out here,” Sin said as he crawled back under the covers and held them open for Remus. Remus followed, but he still seemed troubled.

“Sin? Why did you think Sirius used to hurt me?”

Sin pushed the unbuttoned shirt open and stroked Remus’s chest with his fingertips as he tried to remember. “It was something you said the first time I asked you out. I really can’t remember what it was; I just remember that it bothered me.” He laughed slightly. “That, and the fact that Sirius was a possessive bugger. He didn’t want me anywhere near you.”

“Possessive? Sirius?” Now Remus laughed. “No, he encouraged me to go out with other people. I just didn’t want to.”

“He may have _said_ that he wanted you to see other people—probably to justify that he did. Right?” 

Remus nodded. 

“But believe me, his body language told a different tale. He no more wanted you to go out with other people than I want to meet one of those werewolves you know.”

Remus looked away from Sin’s face, and his body tensed slightly. For a moment, Sin thought that he would try to run away again. _“Damn, Remus must have really idealized Sirius if he can’t even handle hearing that Sirius was possessive.”_ “If you really want to stop being in love with that bastard, you have to listen to people when they tell you the truth about him.”

“No, I believe you. I never did know him as well as I thought I did. I know that now.” Remus looked back at Sin and forced a slight smile, but his body was still tense. “Actually, I had been thinking about introducing you to a werewolf I know, but maybe that would be a bad idea.”

“Funny. You’re a rotten liar, Remus. And for the record, you were the brave-hearted Gryffindor, not I. I’ll leave the terrifying monsters to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Remus waited for the moon to wane before he’d sleep with Sin, but the moon always waxes again. Please comment! I’d love to know what you think of Sin.


	4. Gibbous Moon

March 1983

The next two weeks had been even better than Sin expected. Not only was the sex fantastic—Remus became less inhibited, wilder, with every passing day—but Sin enjoyed his company just as much for reasons that had nothing to do with sex. He loved Remus’s dry, and slightly twisted, sense of humour, and he was glad that Remus appreciated his. They worked well together in the kitchen; Sin appreciated a good sous chef. Remus was also good company when Sin was working at home as he often liked to do. Some boyfriends couldn’t stand being together and not being the centre of attention. Remus, on the other hand, was content to merely sit beside him on the sofa or in the bed and occupy himself with his own work or research. The quiet companionship was soothing.

The only thing troubling him was the fact that Remus was leaving tomorrow on a one-week trip, and he wouldn’t tell Sin where he was going. Sin was worried. He wasn’t jealous-worried. They had never discussed dating exclusively, nor was Remus inclined to see more than one person at a time anyway. He was fear-worried. Remus had seemed somewhat agitated all evening, and Sin couldn’t shake the feeling that Remus would injure himself while he was alone. He had mentioned this premonition to Remus earlier in the evening. Remus merely smiled faintly and said, “Stranger things have happened.” It was _not_ reassuring.

Sin was supposed to be doing some paperwork, but he found himself watching Remus instead. Remus was gazing out the window while tapping his quill on a Muggle notebook. Even the fact that he was sitting in an armchair near the window rather than on the sofa was unusual. Sin felt like Remus had been keeping his distance all evening. Suddenly, he wanted confirmation that Remus really was coming back from his trip.

“Simon and Kitty will be back from Switzerland tomorrow. Why don’t the four of us go out to dinner when you get back?”

Remus looked away from the window. The gold in his eyes caught the light for a moment and flashed, just as his eyes had done in the Leaky Cauldron. “Probably not a good idea,” he said. “I’m not the Pettigrews’ favourite person, remember?”

“You’re not Prudence Pettigrew’s favourite person,” Sin corrected, “but Simon is fair. He’s my best friend. Either he’ll like you, or he’ll pretend he does to make me happy.”

Remus smiled and tried to go back to work. “Maybe, but if he dislikes me even a fraction as much as his mother, you’re asking too much of him.”

“He owes me. Every time he and Kitty invite his mother over for dinner, I get invited too. I used to be his barrier against, ‘When are you getting married?’ and now I protect him from, ‘When are you giving me grandchildren?’”

Remus chuckled and closed the notebook. “I’ll think about it, but don’t make plans until we talk about it again. In fact, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t mention me to Simon at all.”

Sin closed up his own work as well. “I don’t keep secrets from Simon.”

“Please? Just a little longer.” Remus’s brow was furrowed with worry as he looked at Sin through the shaggy fringe of his bangs. Sin had to laugh.

“Augh—he’s using the dreaded puppy dog eyes! How can I resist? All right, Remus Lupin, you just coerced two weeks of my silence. If you want me silent longer than that, you’ll have to make me hoarse from screaming your name.” He stood up and held out a hand to Remus. “Care to get started?”

“Love to,” Remus said as he gathered his things, “but I can’t. I have to get an early start tomorrow, remember? I warned you that I wouldn’t stay tonight.”

Sin tried to use his ‘secret weapon.’ “You don’t really want to go home to your cold and drafty flat, do you? Wouldn’t you rather stay here and have me keep you warm all night?”

Remus did not give in. He gave Sin a quick peck on the cheek and headed for the door, but Sin grabbed him from behind. 

“Uh-uh, Gorgeous. You aren’t leaving for an entire week without giving me a _real_ kiss good-bye.” He slowly circled Remus, stroking one side of his neck while he kissed and licked the other. By the time they stood face to face, Remus’s eyes were closed and his breathing had quickened.

“I don’t think—” Remus began to say. Sin kissed his lower lip, catching it in his teeth momentarily. “—would be—” Sin continued to kiss him even as Remus tried to speak. “—good idea.”

When Sin licked inside Remus’s mouth, Remus whimpered, and his books slipped from his hand. Sin found himself being pushed toward the sofa as Remus fumbled with the belt buckle of Sin’s Muggle trousers. Sin took over unfastening his own clothes, leaving Remus free to unfasten his own. However, as Remus was wearing a robe, and Sin was in Muggle clothing, it was a very unfair race. Remus growled in impatience.

“Aren’t you the wild one tonight?” Sin laughed. “I think I know who’s on top. You’d better get the lube.” But Remus did not obey. He had pinned Sin against the sofa, rubbing against him. His hands slipped behind Sin and gripped him so hard that for a moment, Sin wondered if he’d have bruises the next morning. Sin tried to kiss him, but Remus buried his head against the base of Sin’s neck beside his shoulder. Just behind the collarbone, he bit—hard.

“OW! FUCK, REMUS! What are you doing? That hurt!” Remus instantly recoiled and stood staring at Sin. His eyes were wide with shock and he clapped a hand over his mouth. Sin put a hand to the bite, but when he pulled it away he didn’t see blood. He looked up at Remus again. “What were you thinking?” he demanded angrily.

“I’m sorry,” Remus said breathlessly. He grabbed his robe and dressed quickly. “I’m sorry, Sin. I’m so sorry.” He murmured apologies again and again as he grabbed his things and made a hasty barefoot retreat. Sin was too angry and too shocked to stop him.

* * * * *

An owl arrived the next morning. 

Dear Sin,

I am so sorry that I hurt you and frightened you. I’m tempted to say that my going over to your flat last night was a mistake, but I know that the real mistake was allowing you to get mixed up with me at all. My life is mess, and it was unfair of me to involve you. I’ve ruined too many lives. I hope you can forgive me someday. I’ll always remember you fondly. 

Love, Remus

* * * * *

April 1983

“All I’m saying is, you’ve been married nine months now. When am I going to hear the good news that I have a new grandchild on the way?”

Simon sighed and grabbed Kitty’s hand. She smirked and stared down into her lap. Simon glanced at her and then looked across the table at Sin. “So, Sin, since my mother seems determined to hear about _someone’s_ sex life tonight,” his mother sputtered in protest, “how’s your love life?”

“It was looking promising for awhile—he was fabulous! A real animal in bed—but it didn’t work out. So now I’m on the prowl again.”

“Pervert,” Prudence muttered just loudly enough that she was sure everyone overheard.

“Guess who I ran into in the Leaky Cauldron not too long ago?” Sin hoped Prudence would think he was changing the subject, but he knew Simon would see the connection. “Remus Lupin, Peter’s friend.”

“Oh?” Simon cocked one eyebrow and grinned at his friend. Simon nodded slightly. Before he could say anything else, Prudence exploded with anger.

“LUPIN? THAT—THAT—FREAK?” Sin stared at her in surprise. Even he had never gotten that strong a reaction out of Prudence. Two livid spots stood out on her cheeks and her eyes were blazing. “THAT was the only thing—the ONLY thing—Peter ever defied me about. He came home from school spouting all this—this—nonsense—about werewolf rights. When he graduated, I begged him—positively begged him to stay away from that monster, but he wouldn’t. ‘He’s my _friend_ ,’ he said. I told him, ‘Monsters don’t make _friends_. He’s just using you.’ 

“I warned Peter that people would think less of him if they knew he was friends with a werewolf. It would have RUINED his career, RUINED his life. At least Peter saw the wisdom of keeping what Lupin _is_ a secret.

“Do you know that Lupin and Black almost KILLED a fellow student during their sixth year? Poor misguided Peter kept saying that it wasn’t Lupin’s fault. But it was—I’m sure it was. Lupin’s the one who turned Black bad. He was a good boy until he met that _monster_. As soon as I heard what Sirius had done—that he had killed my poor baby—I begged Werewolf Control to find Lupin and kill him.” 

Prudence closed her eyes and tears spilled down her cheeks. “I knew he was involved. It breaks my heart that they couldn’t prove it. He’s still out there. Someday he’ll kill some other mother’s son.”

Sin realized that he had clasped his hand over his shoulder at some point during Prudence’s tirade. He tore his eyes away from her and stared wide-eyed at his friend.

 _“Werewolf?”_ Simon mouthed.

Sin shrugged and whispered back, “I didn’t know.” A million questions were in his mind, but one took precedence. “Um, does anyone know if werewolf bites are contagious when the werewolf is in human form?” Prudence glared at him sharply. Sin allowed his hand to drop and forced a weak smile. “Just curiosity.”

“Of course they’re always contagious,” Prudence snapped. “I warned Peter of that a hundred times.”

Ice slid into Sin’s stomach, and he thought he might faint.

“No,” Simon said forcefully. “I remember Peter saying quite emphatically that they were only contagious during the full moon.”

Sin nodded and drank the remainder of his wine. Simon immediately refilled the glass.

“Excuse me,” Prudence said, sniffling. She stood up and headed toward the hall. 

Kitty was a clever girl, and she didn’t buy the ‘just curiosity’ statement. She reached across the table to touch Sin’s hand. “The full moon was at beginning of the week on Monday or Tuesday. Does that help?”

It did. _“He bit me on Sunday night. I lived through a full moon after being bitten, and I did not change. I’m not infected.”_ Sin exhaled fully, releasing the weight of his fear. “Yeah, thanks. I’m O.K. I’m _really_ O.K.” 

“He still should have told you,” Simon growled.

Sin didn’t reply. He took another large sip of his wine and put the glass down quickly. He didn’t like seeing the slight tremor of his hand. _“Close call. Too close. I guess Peter was right about werewolf bites, or maybe it was because Remus didn’t break the skin when he bit me. Peter probably learned about werewolf bites from Remus. Would Remus tell the truth about that? Or did he tell Peter what he wanted Peter to believe? Doesn’t matter. I’m NOT infected, and I’m NOT going to get bitten by Remus again.”_

He tried to smile at Simon and Kitty. “Next guy I date, I schedule our first date for a full moon—then I’ll know.” 

Simon smiled grimly. “Yeah, well, make sure the date begins _after_ moonrise. It might not be a good idea if he suddenly changes in the middle of dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was written before HBP, so it was anyone's guess what HP canon would be about when werewolf bites are contagious. For this story, I decided that they were only contagious during the full moon. (Not that it mattered; Remus never bites hard enough to break skin.)
> 
> What did you think? I’d love to know what you thought of Sin. I wanted Remus to truly be fond of him, so he had to be someone worthy of his affection (patient, considerate, loyal friend, sense of humor, etc.) However, since we all know that Moony belongs with Padfoot, Sin had to be less worthy of Remus than Sirius is (prejudiced against werewolves, his primary interest in Remus is sex, doesn’t like children, etc.) I think that once he gets over the “He’s a werewolf?” shock, Sin would look back on his month with Remus fondly. However, he’ll NEVER dare have sex with him again. Read _When Sin Met Snuffles_ (final story in this series!) if you want to see these two twelve years later.
> 
> According to the websites I checked, in 1983, full moons fell on 28 February and 29 March (a Tuesday), so those are the dates I had in mind while writing this story. (My husband knows that when he sees me looking up the dates of the full moon, I’m writing a Remus story.)


End file.
